How Baseball Explains America

by Hal Bodley, George Will (Foreword)

Examining the connection between baseball and our society as a whole, How Baseball Explains America is a fascinating, one-of-a-kind journey through America's pastime. Longtime USA TODAY baseball editor and columnist Hal Bodley explores just how essential baseball is to understanding the American experience. He takes readers into the Oval Office with George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton as the former presidents share their thoughts on the game, he looks at the changes that America's Greatest Generation ushered in, as well as examining baseball's struggle with performance enhancing drugs alongside America's war on drugs. An unabashedly celebratory explanation of America's love affair with baseball and the men who make it possible, this work sheds light on topics such as the role Jackie Robinson's signing with the Dodgers played in the civil rights movement, how baseball's westward expansion mirrored the growth of our national economy, labor strife, baseball families, the international explosion of the game, and even the myriad ways in which movies, music, and baseball are intrinsically tied. It is a must read for anyone interested in more fully understanding not only the game but also the nation in which it thrives.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love baseball, and I try to read a book about the national pastime each year during Spring training. This year, I picked this book by one of the elder statesmen of the baseball sportswriting profession. While the stories were fun and interesting, the writing of the prose was just difficult to get through. It seemed like the author not only wrote much like he writes his columns, he appears to have done so without the support of an editor of any kind. Each chapter is an essay on a different aspect of the game, but the text would often loop and repeat within a chapter and between. The basic structure of paragraphs was inconsistent. Too bad, as the stories themselves were great. The playoff season after the 9/11 attacks, Jackie Robinson, the strike year of 94-5, the problems with performance enhancing drugs, how the game has changed over the last 20 years, new stadiums vs. old, the deadball era, etc. I'm glad I read the book, but can't really recommend it for anyone other than a hardcore fan.

[Artie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonably entertaining book but it doesn't really explain much.

[Rod · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Yes, it is just a game, but it is America. More than any other it’s a sport built on incredible performances, cherished memories and its treasured mementos.”

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable history of baseball that makes connections to broader trends in US history.

[Lisa Herlocker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this but the rambling text is in serious need of an editor. It never really analyzes how baseball explains this country. The historic events mentions are in any clear chronological or thematic arrangement.

As a baseball fan it was worth reading as part of gearing up for Opening Day just to get me thinking more about the fun coming over the next few months.

[Eric Kabakoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title's a little bit of a misnomer and it's a little scattershot, but worth reading for any baseball fan. I managed to learn some interesting things and enjoyed reading about the author's long career, but it wasn't quite the analysis of baseball in America that I expected, given the title.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting stories told here but it truly is all over the place. Did anyone proof read this? Repeated quips made you think that you had already read a particular part.

[Gene Bernacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being an avid baseball fan I found this book to be very light and not overly informative. However there were a few high spots that rekindled some memories of this great game.